Child Helpline International - Global Report "Voices of Children and Young People" - Ten Years of Data from Child Helplines Around the World

CHI’s global report, Voices of Children and Young People, was released on the Universal Children’s Day at the United National Conference Building in New York in close coordination with the UNSRSG on VAC, Ms Marta Santos Pais and UNICEF Child Protection Division New York. The data publications were launched at the Global Launch and Policy Dialogue in New York on November 20 and at Regional Policy Dialogues in Europe, Americas and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Middle East and North Africa.

In 2013 Child Helpline International took the opportunity of its 10th Anniversary to aggressively advocate for inclusion of child protection in the post-2015 agenda by compiling, analysing and publishing the data it has collected over the past 10 years from its member child helplines in 142 countries on some 126 million contacts with member child helplines. The data publications highlight the need for having child protection as one of the SDGs.

The data publications were launched at the Global Launch and Policy Dialogue in New York on November 20 and at Regional Policy Dialogues in Europe (in the European Parliament in Brussels), Americas and the Caribbean (Santiago, Chile), Africa (jointly organised with the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Asia Pacific (Hanoi, Vietnam) and the Middle East and North Africa (Sharjah). Several policy makers, ministers, members of parliament, and civil society and private sector partners attended the dialogues. The key message at the Dialogues was to include child protection in the post-2015 agenda and allocate funds in the national budgets for protection of children and young people in their respective countries. CHI also emphasised that Child Protection is not merely a social welfare policy but a sound economic policy too, as protected and safe environment for children and young people will help them achieve their full potential and become an asset to the society.

CHI’s global report, Voices of Children and Young People, was released on the Universal Children’s Day at the United National Conference Building in New York in close coordination with the UNSRSG on VAC, Ms Marta Santos Pais and UNICEF Child Protection Division New York. The event was sponsored by the Permanent Missions of The Netherlands and Sri Lanka. The launch event was addressed by Ambassador Janine Coye Felson, senior advisor to the President of the UN General Assembly and the panel consisted of Ms. Marta Santos Pais, UNSRSG on VAC, Mr. Christian Salazar, Deputy Director Programmes Division UNICEF HQ, and Ms. Jeroo Billimoria, founder and chair of Child Helpline International. All the speakers underscored the need for including child protection in the post-2015 agenda.

This substantial evidence based advocacy effort could not have been possible without the support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oak Foundation, C&A Foundation, UNICEF Child Protection Division in New York and our partner organisations.